1. Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates generally to a device worn on an ice skate to partially enclose and/or otherwise protect the blade, and, more specifically, to such a device including a safety feature to limit or prevent falls if the skater enters the ice, that is, steps, glides, slides, jumps, or otherwise moves onto the ice, with the device still on the ice skate. The use of the preferred device would be recognized as extremely beneficial by ice skaters who have accidentally left their ice skate blade guards in place, and, upon entering the ice, have sustained a fall due to either undesirable type or direction of slippage of the blade guards upon the ice surface. Especially common are injuries sustained when one or both of the wearer's skates slide sideways out from under the wearer. Such injuries may be common, in part, because a skater frequently accelerates upon entering (moving onto) the ice by pushing his/her feet and skates in a direction having a vector transverse to the length of the skate blades.
2. Related Art
Ice skates and ice skate blade guards are well known. For example, see FIGS. 22 and 23, where an example, prior art ice skate S and an example blade guard BG (also “guard”) are shown. As the blade guard BG of FIG. 23 may include an embodiment of the invented slip-prevention system, underneath the guard main body and not visible in this view, FIG. 23 is not labeled as prior art. The guards are used to protect ice skate blades B from damage or dulling, to prevent injury to persons coming in contact with sharp skate blades, and/or to protect floors and other surfaces upon which the skater walks. Also well-known is the fact that blade guards are designed to be worn by the skater only when not upon ice. For example, when a skater is waiting a turn to skate, the blade guards are installed upon the skates to protect the skate blades from damage by surfaces other than ice, such as wood or concrete surfaces. Some skaters also use the blade guards when they don their skates at a location distant from the ice, where-after they wear the skates and guards through a building or from a parking lot to the ice, for example.
If blade guards are not removed before entering the ice, serious injury may occur as the result of a fall because the blade guard interferes with the normal interaction between the skate blade and the ice and/or interfering with normal skating movements by the skater. This interference may depend on the material from which the guard is made, and may include “catching” of the guards on the ice as the skater tries to glide forward across the ice as he/she would typically do upon entering the ice, or, more frequently, slippage or other lack of control created because the broad, non-sharp base of many guards slides on the ice. Consistent with their original object and aim, conventional guards do not comprise the same shape, sharp edges, and/or material that a skate blade comprises, and so the guards seldom or never allow a skater to move on the ice in a controlled and safe way until the skater can remove the guards for leaving the ice or for carrying on with the intended skating.
The skate and blade guard main body shown in FIGS. 22 and 23 are only examples of many styles and types of skates and guards, as will be understood by those of skill in this field. There are many other styles of figure skates, and there are many styles of hockey and racing skates. Features common to many skates are a front “toe” T of the blade and a rear “heel” H of the blade, and openings O between the blade and the sole of the skate shoe. One or more of these features are typically used for connection of conventional blade guards to the skate/blade. For example, the front and rear portions of the guard BG main body shown in FIG. 24 slide apart longitudinally to receive and extend around the toe T and the heel H of the blade, whereafter the portions may be slid back together to capture the blade. Other guards may be somewhat flexible/bendable, so they can be pushed or pulled onto the blade and around the toe and heel. Other guards, for example ones enclosing only one of the toe T and heel H rather than both, will at least partially rely on structure extending through one or both openings O, or a loop over the heel H, to hold the guard on the blade. Therefore, many different skates and many different guards may be manufactured or retro-fit with embodiments of the invented safety mechanism.
The blade of an ice skate is configured to bite into ice during many movements. The blade may be slightly concave edge to edge, with sharp side edges (corners), and in some designs, slightly convex end to end. Many skating actions require the skater to be “on an edge”, wherein an edge of the blade is “biting” or “cutting” into the ice while the skater's moves in a curved direction on the ice, wherein said “biting” or “cutting” provides control. One may easily see the effect of such biting or cutting, that is, corresponding marks on the ice that result because the skate blade cuts into, shaves, or gouges the ice, which is relatively softer than the metal skate blade.
Conventional ice skate blade guards, on the other hand, have broad bases, typically of rigid or generally rigid polymeric or rubber-like materials. Some bases have transverse channels across the base of the guard, for example, for cooperating with attachment means that connect to the skate. Some blade guards may be made of flexible or soft, even fabric, materials. Conventional guards, therefore, may be described as having bases for contacting the ground or floors that are broad and/or entirely or substantially non-sharp, for example, not having any edge or surface that is adapted to bite into the ice. Skate blade guards from the patent literature include: U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,345; Cabral, U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,090, Davies; U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,828, Hall, et. al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,615, Gronborg, et. al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,616, Olivieri; U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,674, Evon; U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,999, Lehr; U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,196, Hall; U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,568, White II; U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,528, Riley; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,479, Maddaleni.